Rachael told the Sun: “The sex ban is so hard for me - but Carl tells me he isn't that bothered because he's exhausted and it's the last thing on his mind … After such a long wait it's really good to have our sex life back to normal and to have that closeness again, to be able to have sex like a normal young couple.”

While many girlfriends wouldn't be nearly as forgiving about such a protracted dry spell, there will be plenty of others for whom this is old news. Many sportsmen believe that to be at their best for competition, sex before the big day is right out.

It turns out this is a myth that has been doing the rounds since the beginning of history. In Ancient Greece, abstaining from sex was thought to improve Olympians' chances, with Philstratus writing in his Gymnasticus that “those who come to the gymnasium straight after sex are exposed by a greater number of indicators when they train, for their strength is diminished and they are short of breath and lack daring in their attacks, and they fade in colour in response to exertion, and they can be detected by signs of that sort … These athletes, even if we dedicated ourselves to them, would have no chance of being crowned [i.e. winning victory] in any contest.”

It's a view that is still widely held today. The theory seems to be that since testosterone is so closely linked with muscle strength, that the release of sex (or masturbation) would be depleting this necessary force. People also think the sheer exertion would be distracting from training. But according to seminal (heh) research byIan Shrier at MacGill Universityin Canada, however, this is not the case. Noting that the energy expended in a romp between the sheets uses up no more energy than walking up two flights of stairs, it's unlikely to sap a high-performance athlete's endurance.

As well, testosterone is not depleted in the way many think it is by sex. Emmanuele A. Jannini of the University of L'Aquila in Italy is an endocrinologist who has spoken out on the topic. “After three months without sex, which is not so uncommon for some athletes, testosterone dramatically drops to levels close to children's levels,” he said. “Do you think this may be useful for a boxer?” Jannini goes on to suggest that regular sex boosts testosterone production, potentially benefitting strength athletes.

Meanwhile Juan Carlos Medina, a sports scientist at the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, has said sexual relations actually have mental benefits for athletes. “It helps you feel relaxed and sexually, mentally and physically satisfied,” he said. “This contributes to reduce the athlete's anxiety levels before an important match.” Rather than wearing one down, good sex could in fact be a performance enhancer.

While hearing this might be cold comfort to a faithful girlfriend who has been waiting most of 2014 for her man to take her to bed and lose her forever, it might at least be one for the bank in the case of a Froch-Groves rematch.